When Servando Longoria was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, he decided not to let it bring him down.

Longoria has lived in Plainview since 1987 after he finished studying automotive mechanics at the Texas State Technical Institute, which is now Amarillo College. He moved from Floydada and started working at McGavock Motors. Most recently, he worked at Walmart Tire and Lube Express.

In December 2009, Longoria was diagnosed with MS.

He was spending the day with his family, his wife JoAnn and kids, J.P. and Lindsey. They were Christmas shopping at South Plains Mall in Lubbock when he discovered it was getting hard to walk.

"It got hard to walk and keep up with my family," he said.

Later when Longoria was sitting in his recliner, he tried to get up to get a glass of water and fell.

"Everything just stopped," he said. "I just completely fell and knocked over the coffee table. I was able to get back up, but I knew something was up."

He made an appointment with a doctor who "checked out everything.

"I got blood work, a CAT scan, an MRI. I've been through all kinds of tests checking this and that," he said.

After checking for Lupus and other types of cancer, the doctors finally discovered lesions on the left side of his brain.

"Multiple sclerosis (or MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves," the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Web site says. "Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another."

The diagnosis explained his lack of coordination, his impaired concentration and short-term memory loss. But his desire to not let it to bring him down is what has kept him going.

Since he's been diagnosed, he cannot work, but his wife and children remain very supportive.

"It's one of the never-end battles you deal with day-by-day," Longoria said. "I was very active before outside doing yard work or working on cars. But now I can't go out and change my own oil. My hands have muscles spasms so I can't be out there too long."

Longoria has found peace in the "Never Surrender" multiple sclerosis support group which meets regularly at Covenant Hospital Plainview.

"Since I started going to meetings, they've been very supportive and sharing interesting information," he said. "That's helped a lot about clearing my mind. Since I'm fairly new if I had a questions they were able to answer it."

When he does begin to feel sorry for himself, Longoria turns toward his friends and family and leans on his faith in God.

"I try to clear my mind," he said. "I try to get out with friends just to keep my mind off of what I have. The number one thing is God. He's going to direct me in the right way. . ."